Fungicides

EPA Opens Public Comment Period On Draft Fungicide Strategy

Mon, 04 May 2026 22:17:01 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering the U.S. public an opportunity to help shape the future of agricultural safety, unveiling a draft Fungicide Strategy designed to balance the needs of American farmers with the protection of the nation’s most vulnerable wildlife.

The proposal marks a significant step in the agency’s effort to meet its dual mandates under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). By creating a more efficient and transparent framework for pesticide registration, the EPA says it aims to “safeguard more than 1,000 federally endangered and threatened species” while ensuring growers maintain the tools necessary to protect the nation’s food supply.

A New Framework for Modern Farming

The draft strategy focuses on conventional agricultural fungicides across the lower 48 states — an area covering approximately 41 million treated acres annually. Rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate, the proposal introduces a three-step framework:

Identify Impacts: Assessing potential population-level effects on listed species.
Mitigation Planning: Pinpointing specific measures to reduce those risks.
Targeted Application: Determining exactly where these protections are most needed based on where endangered and threatened species live and how fungicides move through the environment.

The agency emphasizes that while this strategy guides future regulatory actions, it does not impose immediate requirements. Instead, the strategy serves as a roadmap for upcoming registration reviews, with the EPA promising public input on every specific action before it is finalized.

Balancing Innovation and Conservation

Saying that it recognizes farmers are the backbone of the U.S. economy, the EPA’s draft includes several updates to provide greater flexibility. Notably, the plan expands options for reducing spray drift buffer distances and introduces new mitigation tools, such as the use of “guar gum” as a spray adjuvant.

"[American farmers] need a diverse toolbox of innovative agricultural technologies to manage crop disease, prevent resistance, and produce the affordable, nutritious food that feeds our country,” the EPA says, in a press release. “The draft Fungicide Strategy is designed to ensure those innovative tools remain available and that they are used in ways that protect the environment and endangered species.

How to Get Involved

In a push for transparency, the EPA has opened a 60-day public comment period to gather feedback from scientists, conservationists, Tribal partners and the agricultural community.

Public Comment: Stakeholders can review the strategy and submit formal feedback via (Docket: EPA-HQ-OPP-2026-2973) through June 29, 2026.
Informational Webinar: The agency will host a public webinar on May 20, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET to walk through the proposal and answer questions. Register here .

The EPA expects to review all public input and finalize the Fungicide Strategy by November 2026.

Winning Gold for Specialty Crops: Corteva’s Award-Winning Microbial and Fungicide Breakthroughs

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:42:33 GMT

The Edison Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of Innovation,” recognize products that solve real-world problems through cutting-edge science and social impact. This year, Corteva Agriscience secured a double victory, taking home the gold Edison Award for its microbial nutrient enhancer Utrisha N and the bronze Edison Award for its next-generation fungicide Adavelt active.

According to Tim Davies, bioprocess science and technology leader for Corteva Agriscience, these accolades validate a natural solution that benefits everyone from the field to the dinner table.

“I think one of the things that resonates … is that this is a natural solution that helps farmers increase yields, which reduces the cost of products for consumers and has an impact both for the farmer but also environmentally as well,” Davies says.

Utrisha N: Gold-Standard Microbial

Winning the gold award, Utrisha N is a biological product that allows plants to capture nitrogen from the air and convert it into a usable form. While initially widely adopted in row crops like corn and soy, Davies notes that the product is quickly becoming a powerhouse for specialty growers, particularly in high-stakes markets like California.

One of the standout features of Utrisha N is its Organic Materials Review Institute registration, making it a vital tool for both organic and conventional growers.

“It is OMRI registered, so it can be used by conventional farmers and organic farmers alike,” Davies says. “One of the areas where we’ve had very good results is in potatoes, where farmers are seeing significantly improved yields by adding [Utrisha N].”

With global fertilizer prices remaining volatile, Utrisha N acts as a nutrient enhancer that works alongside traditional nitrogen practices. Davies notes that in more than 1,000 internal and farmer-partner trials, the product successfully increased yields in more than 80% of cases.

Adavelt Active: Bronze-Level Crop Protection

In the highly competitive crop protection category, Adavelt active secured the Bronze. While Utrisha N represents the biological side of the portfolio, Adavelt showcases Corteva’s technical prowess in traditional chemistry.

The goal, according to Davies, is not to choose one method over the other but rather to provide specialty growers with a balanced toolkit.

“What we’re working on, really, at Corteva, is to use all of our technical abilities to provide the best outcomes for farmers,” Davies says. “Whether it’s a traditional chemical or a biological, both have their place in the market, and both can provide great benefits for farmers in the right place when they deploy them in the right way.”

Bringing Award-Winning Tech to the Specialty Market

With Utrisha N already registered in over 50 countries, Corteva is now focused on expanding its reach into more specialty acres. By generating rigorous agronomic data, the company aims to give specialty growers the peace of mind they need to invest in new technology.

“Farmers need confidence that when they spend money on a product, it’s going to work,” Davies says. “We’re working hard to increase those confidence levels.”

As Corteva continues to roll out these award-winning solutions, the company says it will continue providing the right technology at the right time to ensure a more resilient and productive future for specialty agriculture.

Biotalys Secures EPA Approval for Evoca Biofungicide

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:02:38 GMT

Belgium-based Biotalys says it has received EPA regulatory approval for the novel biofungicide, Evoca, which the company says is the first protein-based biofungicide of its kind to be approved by the agency.

Biotalys says Evoca offers a new, precision biocontrol solution for critical fungal pathogens like botrytis (grey mold) and powdery mildew in high-value fruit and vegetable crops. The product was developed using Biotalys’ Agrobody technology platform.

“Securing this EPA registration is a critical milestone in our journey to provide growers with a sustainable and performing new technology,” says Kamal El Mernissi, chief business development officer for Biotalys.“I am delighted that Biotalys will be able to add solutions to their toolbox to protect their crops and maximize their yields. Evoca is our first product registered and many more are expected to come in the next few years.”

With this approval in hand, Biotalys says it can proceed with the dossiers for state registrations in California and Florida, two of the most important growing regions for fruit and vegetables in the U.S. In Europe, Evoca has entered the peer review phase, and the Netherlands — as the rapporteur member state — has proposed approval in Europe, subject to the provision for certain additional data as requested during the peer review phase, the company says.

Additionally, Biotalys says it can move forward with building up the U.S. regulatory submission for Evoca NG, its next-generation product, which is currently in the final phases of development. The regulatory review process for Evoca NG is expected to be significantly shorter, the company says, as the product contains the same active ingredient as Evoca and features enhanced formulation and production methods.

Biotalys says it envisages obtaining registration of Evoca NG in the U.S. in 2028-29 and in the European Union and Brazil in 2029-30, subsequently launching it commercially in these markets worth around $1.2 billion combined.

“This approval marks a major regulatory milestone for Evoca and moves us closer to delivering a new, sustainable tool for farmers to protect their crops,” says Biotalys CEO Kevin Helash. “The product has an entirely new mode of action to target fungal diseases, highlighting the uniqueness of Biotalys’ technology platform as a pathway to discovering many new modes of action in the coming years. The EPA’s decision reinforces the potential of our technology to help shape the future of agriculture and is a testament to the dedication of our entire team.”

The company says Evoca is developed to provide growers with a novel solution that bridges the efficacy and scale of commonly used chemistries with the environmental advantages of biological solutions.

According to Biotalys, benefits to growers include:

Flexibility for use in both pre- and postharvest applications across a wide range of food and nonfood crops in both greenhouse and outdoor growing conditions.
Compatibility with an array of application methods and easy integration into existing farm management practices.
A new mode of action to manage resistance build-up, when compared with existing fungicides.

At the end of October, the EPA also posted a final rule exempting Evoca’s active ingredient residues on treated crops from tolerance requirements, according to Biotalys, which adds that no maximum residue limits will apply given Evoca’s safety profile.

AgZen, Corteva Team up on AI-Powered, Retrofit Sprayer Tech

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:10:42 GMT

AgZen announces an agreement with Corteva to further “explore the commercial potential” of AgZen’s AI-powered crop spraying optimization technology, RealCoverage.

The news comes on the heels of Corteva’s big announcement on Oct. 1 , detailing the crop protection multinational’s plan to split its crop protection and seeds businesses.

AgZen, a tech startup spun out of MIT, is making a name for itself by pioneering feedback optimization for spray applications — a new approach the company thinks has potential to improve farmer outcomes and reduce crop input costs.

(AgZen)

AgZen’s first product, RealCoverage, is a retrofit kit that can be bolted onto any sprayer to measure and optimize the number of drops of agrochemicals applied to crops. The system features a boom-mounted sensor that analyzes the coverage and quality of spray applications in real-time, displaying actionable data to a tablet mounted in the cab. Farmers can use the data to optimize the physical settings on spray rigs, both self-propelled and pull-behind, to increase coverage.

The startup says its system works by leveraging AI and cutting-edge computer vision, and customers have used RealCoverage to save 30% to 50% on input costs.

Farmer Feedback

(AgZen)

Northwest Indiana farmer Bryan Brost slapped a RealCoverage system onto his Hagie STS 16 high-clearance sprayer to use on his waxy corn and soybean crops. He says it has helped boost his spray program efficiency overall by reducing application rates while maintaining optimal coverage throughout his 12,000-acre operation.

“The payback came in the first year,” he tells Farm Journal via text message. “We have increased our acres [covered] per day with less hours on the machine, the operator and the nurse tanks supplying product [to the sprayer].”

Corey McIntosh set the technology loose across his 4,000 acre spread in Missouri Valley, Iowa. He is looking forward to using the data to improve his application efficiency across the board. He’s also letting his neighbors and local retailer in on the secret.

“I was getting a chem shuttle refilled at [the] co-op, these guys have always been complimentary of our weed control, I asked them: ‘What percentage of leaf surface area do you think you are covering with your sprayers?’ One of their best operators said he thought 50% coverage. The salesman next to him said it would definitely be more than 60%,” McIntosh says.

“They were shocked when I told them we were at 9% to 10%, but nobody has had ever had a way to quantify this before,” he adds. “We are really looking forward to making improvements.”

Since launching on the market in 2024, AgZen says it covered more than 970,000 commercial acres of application across the U.S. on row crops and specialty crops.

Your Next Read: Breakthrough Fungicide Delivers White Mold Disease Control in Key Crops

Corteva's Bold Move: What Splitting Crop Protection and Seed Businesses Means for the Future

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:27:19 GMT

Global agriculture technology company Corteva announced plans on Wednesday to separate into two independent, publicly traded entities: “new” Corteva, which will continue to sell crop protection products – herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and biologicals – and SpinCo, which will focus on the seed genetics business.

SpinCo will include Pioneer, the company’s legacy seed brand established in 1926, as well as Brevant and regional seed brands, including Dairyland Seed.

Upon separation of the companies, Greg Page, current Corteva chairman, will lead new Corteva, while Chuck Magro, current Corteva CEO, will become CEO of SpinCo.

In announcing the decision by Corteva, Magro said the farmer-centric organization appreciates that its customers want and need choice across their input decisions.

“The best way, maybe I can even say, the only way for this company to preserve and expand that choice and keep putting innovative, effective, sustainable solutions into the hands of farmers around the world is to give both businesses the freedom to operate without having to look out for the other,” said Magro, during an online presentation primarily focused on company investors.

He added that the separation of the company into two entities will allow both businesses to maximize long-term value for farmers, customers, employees and shareholders.

Magro described SpinCo – with expected net sales of $9.9 billion in 2025 (56% of current Corteva sales) – as “a classic growth compounder” that will pursue opportunities in out-licensing, hybrid wheat, biofuels and gene editing.

“The continued success of our SpinCo business will be predicated upon sustained investment in advanced genetics and further capitalizing on our unique route to market,” Magro said.

As a pure-play crop genetics company, Magro predicts SpinCo could go beyond its corn and soybean core into other row crops, even expanding into other areas like fruits and vegetables.

“Spinco will also look to expand on new opportunities in wheat, cotton, rice and other products, where genetics can play a transformative role,” he said. “In other words, we could see SpinCo playing in a vastly expanded addressable market.”

Corteva Crop Protection Business Is Future-Focused

For new Corteva, Magro characterized the crop protection industry as competitive and tough, but that company leaders anticipate the market will return to growth in the near future.

“At new Corteva, success will be built upon an optimized supply chain, a new level of operational excellence and the ability to invest in the next generation of sustainable, differentiated innovation, including biologicals and other nature-based products,” he said.

Magro said as company leaders weighed the pros and cons of separating the two companies, they made the decision with the future in mind.

“This is not about today, and it’s not certainly about the last six years. This is about what we see coming,” he said. “We’re in a market that we need to look out 10-years plus. That’s just the research and development and the timeline it takes to bring technology into the marketplace. So this is a long-term decision that we are making.”

Corteva’s 2025 net sales for its crop protection business are estimated to be $7.8 billion (44% of the current company’s total).

During Magro’s remarks, he gave no indication of where the two companies will be based. Corteva’s global headquarters is currently based in Indianapolis, Ind., while Johnston, Iowa, is home to its seed business.

The transaction separating Corteva and SpinCo is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.

Corteva was formed in 2018 as the agriculture-focused subsidiary of DowDuPont, following the merger of the two companies. Corteva was spun-off as its own entity in 2019.

Your next read: Fertilizer Decisions: Balance Costs, Yields and Sustainability

Artificial Intelligence Joins The Fight Against Weeds, Insects And Disease

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:53:42 GMT

The crop protection industry needs a reboot, according to Tony Klemm.

As CEO of Enko, a crop-protection startup, he says the company is taking a different approach to solving one of agriculture’s biggest problems – developing safe, effective and sustainable crop protection products that can be brought to the marketplace faster and more economically.

Traditional discovery pipelines for herbicides, fungicides, insecticides are not keeping pace with real challenges farmers face, such as resistance issues, he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk on Thursday.

A 2024 study funded by Crop Life International reports the costs associated with bringing a new active ingredient to major U.S. and European markets now top $300 million. In addition, the survey says the average lead time between the first synthesis of a new crop protection molecule and its subsequent commercial introduction is now over 12 years.

Part of the long development time required is related to regulatory hurdles. “There’s just increasing demand for meeting environmental safety needs, rightfully so,” Klemm says.

A Paradigm Shift
Enko, based in Mystic, Conn., is using artificial intelligence (AI) and a machine learning discovery platform to guide the company’s research and development efforts. Klemm describes the strategy as a paradigm shift from the current industry practices for how small molecule crop protection discovery has been done.

“We use DNA-encoded libraries, and these libraries allow our scientists to explore this massive, diverse chemical space in a very targeted, automated and expansive way,” he says.

The technology allows Enko scientists to look at billions of molecules and screen them for safety and efficacy and, in the process, develop them faster and more economically.

“We still have to take the regulatory journey that, right now, no one’s figured out a way to expedite,” he notes. “But getting to that regulatory queue faster and better on the front side is really what’s bringing us that cost savings, that efficacy and is going to allow for more products to be put into the regulatory queue in a faster manner.”

Progress To Date
So far, Klemm says Enko has delivered about 50 active programs that cover all facets of weeds, insects and disease. Many use novel or new modes of action that Klemm believes will help farmers fight resistance issues, such as herbicide resistance in Palmer amaranth and pigweed.

“We’re really working on how we can bring new modes of action to farmers, give them fresh tools to win that fight. And our chemistries work using fewer active ingredients, from perspective of the load on the acre, so we’re designing safer chemistry for the future,” he says.

Specifically, Klemm says Enko recently announced a new grass herbicide is in the pipeline for the European cereals market for control of black grass. The company also has conducted field trials for corn and soybean products in the U.S. that he anticipates are five to 10 years away from market launch, depending on how long they take to move through regulatory channels.

Your next read: Bayer Affirms Support of Glyphosate, Optimistic for a Future with Over the Top Dicamba Labels

New Changes amid Fast-Growing Biological Market

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:58:35 GMT

The biologicals market is not the last frontier in agricultural development, but it certainly has proven to to be the next frontier, with the world market now worth an estimated $1 billion and growing an estimated 10% to 15% annually. Novozymes , the maker of several biofertility and biocontrol crop protection products, is the latest company to make a major investment in biological with its acquisition of Texas-based Natural Industries Inc.

Natural Industries Inc. has focused on the research and development of a particular type of soil microorganism called “Streptomyces,” which are thought to have properties that can help control a variety of fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects and weeds. Thomas Videbæk, head of BioBusiness at Novozymes, says he hopes the acquisition will strengthen the company’s presence in the biologicals market.

“Novozymes has long-term ambitions to be a key player in this market,” he says. “Natural Industries Inc. brings a wealth of knowledge in the biocontrol area. The company has a proven portfolio of products, new pipeline opportunities and good market coverage for high-value crops in key regions of the U.S. The acquisition is a good example on how we can grow and utilize our platform and leading position in this area as well as accelerate innovation.”

Terms and conditions of the acquisition were not disclosed, and it does not affect Novozymes’ financial guidance for 2012.

In other biocontrol news, Biopreparáty, spol. s r.o. and Gowan Company, LLC recently signed a commercial agreement for exclusive distribution of Polyversum, a biofungicide that company officials hope will appeal to both organic and conventional growers seeking unique IPM and sustainability solutions for their operations.

“Polyversum represents a new opportunity to further develop our Gowan BioRational portfolio that we started a decade ago,” says Salvatore Strano, product manager for Gowan. Gowan is now “developing several plant extract products coming from our joint venture with EcoFlora Agro. We are committed to bringing reliable and efficacious solutions to conventional and organic growers worldwide,” Strano says.